The Evolution of SPECIAL

I will explain the evolution of SPECIAL now, so that going forward when you read it in other posts, you will know what i mean :)

On the way home from school one day, when Brian was in the second grade.

Brian: Mom, why don't people like me?

Me: What? Everyone likes you!!

Brian: Not mainstream kids! (it had never occured to my sweet little boy before, that someone would "not like him")

  Brian was placed into a "cluster class" when he started the second grade. Kindergarten and first grade were hard because of the many phone calls from teachers complaining that Brian wouldn't pay attention, needed to go to the bathroom far more than other children, didnt follow class structure, and his need to lightly bonk all the children on their heads (with his pencil) on the way to his seat. These "cluster class" types were an answer to my prayers. It consisted of 10 kids, 2 teachers, and 2 aids. The kids in his class all had need of special learning accommodations. The kids' "levels" were taken into consideration for class modules with in the class. Brian was good with some of these categories, so he quickly became a kind of mentor to the other kids. His popularity status made him feel very good about himself. (He was subsequently placed with the same kids in a variation of the "cluster class" throughout the rest of his grades in public school).

 This particular day, the cluster class shared PE time with a mainstream class. Brian said they played a game called Dodge Ball. He said that none of the mainstream kids ever got out because they always threw the balls at his “classmates” and him first. He was upset because he hardly got to play, as he was always one of the first ones out. (After this happened a couple of times more, I contacted his teacher. Combined PE didn’t continue after that) ;)

  It was on this day we had a talk about “special”.

 Me: Brian, other kids (that don’t think like you and your classmates do), don’t understand that not everyone’s brains think the same as theirs. You, and the kids in your class, have a different way of understanding things. Your minds are SPECIAL. You and your classmates are every bit as important as all the other kids, but you do things in a different way than they do. NOT the wrong way, just a DIFFERENT, SPECIAL way. Hopefully one day their parents will explain it to them.

 We continued to use the word “special” to explain further experiences he had going forward, so as to lessen the sadness he felt in situations concerning “mainstream kids”. That is until someone by the name of BARNEY, disrupted my use of the word “special”!

 

 Brian would, from time to time, mention that they had watched something called Barney and Friends at school that day. Being new to the world of new PBS shows, I assumed that Mr. Rubble had finally gotten his own cartoon series. One day Brian asked if he could watch Barney and Friends. I put it on and realized that it wasn’t my Barney, but a big purple dinosaur dancing and singing to the kids. It seemed harmless at first, so I bought him the video. We watched it together. Barney was dancing and singing to the kids telling them that they were special, special. EVERYONE is “SPECIAL”. Brian turned to me and gave me a look of confusion and asked, Mom, why is Barney telling everyone that they are special, not just kids like me? There it was. I quickly started talking. I had to save this. I told him that yes, everyone is special but the kind of special I talk about is really “Extra Special”. From that point on, we use the word Extra Special when referring to people with special needs. Saved! Nice try Barney!

 (We now watch Sponge Bob, he is a little more in line with my theories)